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Author
Topic: life in zimbabwe (Read 5971 times)

tendai

Em requested that i share how things are here in Zimbabwe these days. On a really bad day u wake up around 6 and theres no power and no water. if u're brave u use the ice cold water you keep in buckets and bath with that. or u can take shortcuts if u know what i mean. after bathing u go to the bus stop to wait for transport to go to town. where i stay theres these minibuses so ever since the price freeze by the government theres not much fuel available so only a few of these minibuses are on the road. so u wait a long while there, average of 20-30 minutes a day. when one does come theres a stampede and pushing and shoving to get on. me i stand by the side and wait for them to get on or wait for the next one. coz i wear glasses and having them broken will be a lot more problematic than being late for work. Its worse going home. The bus stops in town look like theres a rally being held or something they're so crowded. Once I got to the bus stop at 5.30pm and only managed to get a ride at 8pm.

The major problem is food. There is nothing in supermarkets. No bread, no cooking oil, no mealie meal, no rice, no meat, nothing. Only tomato sauce and mayonnaise, soya mince. and cleaning materials theres lots of those filling the fridges. U finish work and u look for something to go and cook at home and u wont find anything. the lucky ones are the ones who bought food the first days of the price freeze cos they cleared everything and the shops didnt bother to restock. so now basically people are eating fish sold out of buckets or dried fish. if u really want u have to go and buy it at the rural areas (and pray it wont be confiscated by the police on the way back). The shops only sell a bit of something at a time. if its cooking oil its only cooking oil and theres queue 100s of metres long and such a crowd. its mainly a game of chance now buying things in the shops. we're buying from the people who cleared the shops now, they sell at whatever price they feel like and becos u've no alternative u just have to buy. I heard of a woman who was selling 5litres of cool drink for $2,500,000. in the shops it would be $750,000. imagine the profit.Personally as a person with HIV I'm affected coz i cant eat a balanced diet now coz of theres no food to buy even if u have the money. u just have to make do with whatever u can find and hope for the best. so i do get worried that this will affect my health adversely. I jsut hope this situation doesnt last long coz honestly if u dont know people who know people who can get hold of things then u're really screwed.Basically thats the major headache we have here. its so ridiculous and these people expect to be voted back into power next year. only total idiots will vote for this shit. i mean really. But when it comes to HIV issues i must say they are really working at it ( maybe because a lot of our government officials have it - or so rumour has it). Meds are available quite cheaply at government facilities (if u have connections there even better). we have some NGOs as well who supply free or cheap meds. then of course our pharmacies will always be wellstocked coz they got business to run and there's such a big market for meds. Now this crazy hunt for money, theres people who work where meds are sold and they can steal them and then resell them on the street. not sure how dangerous that is.Theres free counselling and testing well its almost free coz the fee they charge even a street kid can pay it. theres post testing counselling groups. So not seeking testing and treatment is really a matter of being afraid or denial or embarrassment really.Um i've run out of steam. let me know if theres anything else u might want to know

Is there any way of sending you food parcels, or would they just be confiscated coming into the country? Is it worth a try? I'm thinking dry goods like flour, rice, sugar, pasta... how about vitamins? Tea bags? Powdered milk? Water purification tablets? Would it be safe to send you stuff at work? I'm absolutely serious. You name it and I'll see what I can do.

I know someone who was an aid worker in Sudan and he used to stock up on things like disposable cameras and inexpensive watches and electronic gadgets, to use as bribes. Would things like that help you?

Let me know and feel free to PM me if you'd rather discuss this in private.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

hi tendai l am a zimbabwean living in uk, you dont know how l appreciate what l get here, l am still able to work,buy food and look after my two kids. free treatments and the ability to wake up in the morning knowing that you still have hope to live another day. l sincerely understand what you are going through and l am willing to help along with those other ladies.

Tendai: Let me know if anything can be sent and I'll bring it up to my church. They are always doing stuff like that, so that's no big deal. I am so sorry for what you're going through. People in developed countries (like myself) truly do not know how good they (we) have it. I mean, we can bitch about the price of groceries all we want, but the fact that we have them is a blessing. I can't imagine life where you live. You are truly one strong woman. Please let us know about sending non-perishable things! {{{{BIG HUGS}}}}Betty

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I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.-Clarence Darrow

Tendai, While I am sure that the object of your post was not to gain sympathy but I am with the others ladies. I f there is any way we could get things to you that you would get to keep, I would gladly help. What a strong, determined woman you are to have to go through all that. Thank you for giving a glimpse of your daily life and reminding me how many things I have to be grateful for. Cristy

Wow Tendai....You do indeed have a very tough life. I would like to help also but am on disability and my funds are limited but I will put aside something. Maybe I can send some money to one of the ladies who are sending you something. I would like to contribute because lately I have been getting small blessings and would like to pass the blessing on....So if anyone is sending something Tendai's way around the beginning of next month, please let me know. I really wish it could be sooner but you know how disability operates.

I just wish I could get you out of your situation. I would have you live with me in my basement, I have room for another. Reading your post, I just can't imagine living a life as you do. I think to myself that you have access to the internet and access to meds, but not to food? I am diabetic and would not be able to survive without some source of steady carbohydrate, nevermind the nutrition factor.

I feel so helpless here, and I echo the other women in this thread. Is there anything we can do to safely get you what you need?

Tendai: People in developed countries (like myself) truly do not know how good they (we) have it. I mean, we can bitch about the price of groceries all we want, but the fact that we have them is a blessing. I can't imagine life where you live. You are truly one strong woman.

Amen to that! Wow Tendai, thank you for sharing that! I am quite speechless at the moment. People do not realize how good we have it here until we read something like this. I wish you nothing but the best and would totally like to help you with the other women in here!

tendai

oh my God. first sorry i took so long to get back work was rather hectic. Guys, i dont know what to say. i'm deeply touched honestly. and embarrassed at all the attention. i hadnt meant, u know i was just explaining how things are. i mean we're so used to this now and being zimbabweans we just wait and see how worse they will get. i hadnt thought that people would actually be shocked, u know. unfortunately i have no idea how things are sent over here so uknow, i'll PM Ann with an address though.thank you all for all the support u know. um. i hope things will get better before they get worse. i mean theres elections next year so they have to do something about this before march next year dont they? this is so amazing i still cant believe it. u guys are incredible

Hi Tendai, it's so great to hear back from you. I was afraid... I am so glad to hear you're ok. Sending you a BIG HUG (in the meantime till we figure out if more can be sent... I'll wait for Ann's update)

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"If you keep one foot in yesterday, and one in tomorrow, you piss all over today". Betty Tacy